Protea nana (P.J.Bergius) Thunb.

An erect, densely branched shrub with rounded crown, up to 1.25 m tall, usually slightly less; main stem single, to 30 mm in diam., bark smooth, grey. Branches glabrous, slender, 2-3 mm in diam. Leaves bright green when fresh, acicular, densely ascending, subterete, 1-1.5 mm in width, 18-30 mm long, terminating in a soft brown spine. Inflorescences terminal on short branches, pendulous, shallowly crateriform, 30-45 mm in diam. Involucral receptacle narrowly acuminate, 6 mm in diam. at base, 10 mm tall. Involucral bracts 4 seriate, externally glabrous (except for minutely ciliate margins); outer series ovate obtuse, 6-8 mm wide, 10-15 mm long, glabrous but margins ciliate; inner series oblong elliptic, 10-12 mm wide, 25-30 mm long, apices acute to obtuse, glabrous but proximal margins occasionally ciliate. Perianth 20-22 mm long, strongly incurved, tube and claws glabrous externally but lip margins and margins of free claw beset with long, twisted, tawny cilia, distal part of perianth sheath with tawny cilia on inner surface; limbs elliptic, 4 mm long, acute, sparsely beset with twisted, tawny trichomes. Anthers subsessile, 3 mm long. Style 20-25 mm long, very strongly adaxially curved, glabrous, tapering terminally. Pollen presenter 2.5-3 mm long, linear-acute. Ovary obconic, 2 mm long, covered with long, straight, pale tawny trichomes. Hypogynous scales oblong-ovate, 1.5 mm long, occasionally fused into a complete ring. Flowering takes place from mid-winter until late spring, between July and late October, depending on locality and microclimate.